5 Real Food Time Saving Tips
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How many times have you thought “I would love to eat healthier… I just don’t have time.” I hear this way too much! And I totally get it, I’m super busy too. We have something going on almost every night, but honestly you can do it with the right/minimal planning and a crock pot, real food doesn’t have to be difficult. Real food doesn’t have to be this crazy hard thing.
1. Prepare food ahead! This is probably my favorite tip of advise. I’m the laziest cook everrrrr. You can ask my hubby. I have motivation to cook approximately 1-2 times per week and after that good luck (hence why my hubby cooks most nights). So to make life easier and our food tastier, I spend an hour or so one day a week (usually Sunday) prepping food for the week.
Weekly Prep
- Cook a big pot of rice or quinoa
- Roast some potatoes or other veggies.
- Cook whole chicken, chuck roast, or some other cut of meat in the crock pot with some veggies and garlic and simmer all day or overnight.
2. Frozen foods are your friend! I couldn’t tell you how many times I’m running behind for work and need to grab something quick to take for lunch. Thankfully I have some foods already prepped from tip number one. So I throw together some rice, chicken, throw in some frozen veggies from the freezer, and slab on some grass fed butter. Now that’s a filling and healthy lunch!
3. Double or triple a recipe to freeze for later! When you make one of your favorite real food recipes why not freeze some for later. Some people even spend a day preparing a months worth of meals and freeze to make life easier. This would probably work wonders to do before school starts, having a baby, or during those times of extreme fatigue during pregnancy. You could even make your own individual “TV dinners” to freeze.
4. Start stocking real food! The easiest way to make sure your eating real food is to keep it stocked in your fridge and pantry and that way it’s always available. You be less tempted to eat processed, less healthy foods if they are not around. You can also find some healthier versions of your favorite foods, but remember a cookie is still a cookie and should be used as treats rather than an everyday thing.
5. Make things simple. You’re cooking for your family, not some fancy restaurant. Sure, you can make homemade natural Cheez-its, but is it really worth it? Probably not. Figure out which things are worth making and which ones are not. Learning to love new healthier snacks can help you save time and money. Fruit, nuts, yogurt (I prefer homemade), and these healthy 4 ingredient cookies are my favorite go to snacks. If you do make your own homemade treats like the cookies, double or triple to save for later.
One of the hardest parts about switching to real food is getting the whole family on board. Many times one person is all for it and everyone else thinks it’s the worst idea EVER, making the one on board just want to give up! Don’t! It may take time for the rest of the family to jump in but if you start slowly making switches, explaining why standard mac and cheese is unhealthy, and give them options (would you like broccoli or brussels sprouts for dinner and even let them top it with some natural cheese) it can make it a little less painful.
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Hopefully these tips makes your real food switch much easier and painless! Don’t give up! You can do it!
What is your favorite real food time saving tip?
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I love cooking a double batch of whatever so we can have the leftovers the next night. I need to get better about going ahead and preparing two (double) meals each Sunday so we can eat better all week. Add that to the never ending to-do list! But I never thought about making a big batch of the sides ahead. That is pretty smart! Pinned!
I totally make food ahead of time! I haven’t really ever done a “meal prep” but I usually bake some kind of healthy baked good toward the beginning of the week (because who doesn’t need a sweet snack in their life to have throughout the week?) and then sometimes I’ll make a big crockpot of soup or some kind of chicken to have for dinner one night, then use for lunches throughout the week!